Telescoping pocketknife



Feb. 27, 1951 R. F. LANDWEHR 2,543,726

TELESCOPING PCKETKNIFE Filed Feb. 7, 1950 l@ PLI* Y .6.

ma@ 5 ,A ,5% "1| INVENTOR. Richard F. Landwehr ATTOR NEY Patented Feb. 27, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELESCOPING PoCKE'rKNIFr-z` Richard F. Landwehr, Laurelton, N. Y. Application February 7, 1950, serial No. 142.734

Knives have been made in which .the blade is latched in the slotted handle. In such a knife it has been customary to release the latch and eject the blade from the handle by shaking the blade.

I propose to form-a neat and compact knife in which the blade is normally frictionally held in the handle or sheath by means of a springpressed button. The entire blade except for a perforated shoulder is enclosed in the sheath. This exposed shoulder serves as a nger grip so that the blade can be readily pulledout. The sheath has an opening into which the button projects when the blade is pulled outward. To accommodate the buttonand its spring support. the handle or sheath is provided with ribs which form guide grooves along the inside of the sheath. To sheath the blade it is only necessaryto depress the button and push the blade back into the handle.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a knife embodying my invention, the blade being housed within the sheath and showing the tip end of the blade in dotted lines, partly withdrawn.

Fig. 2 is a front end view of the knife on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the knife.

Fig. 4 is a view of the rear side of the sheath of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the sheath.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of the sheath.

Fig. 'I is a view of one side of the blade of the knife.

Fig. 8 is a view of a fragment of the rear end of the other side of the blade.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the rear end of the blade.

Fig. 10 is a side view of a fragment of the rear end of the blade with a latch spring in place.

Fig. 11 is an edge View of the latch spring and button.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional View of the rear end of the blade and sheath with the latch spring and button in place.

Fig. 13 is a detail view of the blank from which the latch spring is formed.

Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional view showing the blade in place in the sheath in its retracted position.

Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional vieW taken on the plane of the line I E-IE of Fig. 1 and showing a fragment of the sheath with the end of the bladelatched in its extended position.

The sheath of handle I is in the form of a flat tube having ribs 2 and 3 extending along its 5 Claims. (Cl. A30--162) opposite sides and closed at its rear end by a plug 4 to which a loop 5 is hinged for convenience in attachment to a chain or cord (not shown).

The blade 6 has a butt end 'I which is slidable in the grooves 8 and 9 in the opposite edges of the sheath. The cutting portion of the blade is made a little narrower than the sheath so as to avoid dulling the edge.

The blade is provided with a roughened and perforated shoulder lil just back of its tip and the sheath is cut back at all so as to permit the blade to be gripped and pulled out for use. The tip of the blade is guarded by the tip I2 of the sheath wherein the blade is sheathed.

When not in use the blade is frictionally'held in the sheath by a spring I3 and button I4 which is mounted on the butt end of the blade. For this purpose the button is loosely mounted in the hole I5 in the blade and pressed against the surface of the groove inside of rib 2 by the spring. The spring is formed of a metal strip I3' whose head I6 is positioned in a recess I6 and its tail II is positioned in groove I1' in the blade and extends across the base of the button.

Additional security against accidental shaking out of the blade may be provided by forming a shallow detent I8 in the Wall of the sheath into which the button slips when fully retracted into the sheath.

The ribs 2 and 3 not only provide grooves inside the sheath to accommodate the latching button and spring but enlarge the sheath in order to provide a better handle.

When the blade is pulled out, the button snaps into the hole I9 formed in the sheath at the end of rib 2 so that the blade is securely held in its protruded position as shown in Fig. 15.

To return the blade to the sheath it is only necessary to press the button inward to release it from the position of Fig. 15 and push the blade back into the sheath.

I claim:

1. A knife having a sheath closed at one end and open at the other end and having a guide groove along one inner side, a blade mounted to slide in said sheath, a spring pressed latch button carried by said blade and slidable in said groove, said sheath having an opening in one side near its open end at the end of said groove to receive Y said button when the blade is pulled out.

2. A knife having a sheath closed at one end and open at the other end, a blade mounted to slide in said sheath, a spring pressed latch button carried by said blade and slidable in said sheath,

said blade having a sharpened tip guarded in said sheath when retracted and having a perforated shoulder exposed at the back of the blade to facilitate pulling out the blade, said sheath having an opening in one side near its open end to receive said button when the blade is pulled out.

3. A knife comprising a, tubular sheath open at its front end and having an outwardly projecting rib extending along one side forming a groove inside the rib, -a .closure for the rear yend of said sheath, a blade slidably supported in said sheath, a spring-pressed latching button supported by said blade and slidable inside of said groove, said sheath having an opening in one side at the end of its rib to receive the latching button when the blade is extended for use.

4. A knife having a hollow :sheath `closed .at one end and open at the other end and having an opening in one side near the open end, a pull-out blade slidable in said sheath and having a hole near its inner end, a latch button mounted in said hole, a spring having one end seated in one side of said blade and extended around the end of the blade behind said button for pressing said button against the inside of said sheath and causing said button to protrude into the opening in said sheath when the blade is pulled outwardly.

5. A knife comprising a tubular sheath open at its front end and having a projecting rib extending along .each side with a groove inside of each rib, a closure for the rear end of said sheath, a blade slidably supported in said sheath, a latch- `ing button resiliently carried by said blade and slidable ,in said ribs, said sheath having a hole in one side at the end of one of its ribs to receive and interlock Aithe latching button when the blade is extended for use.

RICHARD F. LANDWEHR.

No references cited. 

